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This scoping report provides context and analysis for addressing agriculture in international climate negotiations with the aim of informing climate negotiators and other stakeholders of different options and unpacking issues of interest.

The global food system will experience an unprecedented combination of pressures over the next 40 years. Global population size will increase and competition for land, water and energy will intensify, while the effects of climate change will become increasingly apparent. Over this period, globalisation will continue, exposing the food system to novel economic and political pressures.

Negotiations have been underway in advance of the meeting of the 15th Conference of Parties of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Copenhagen in December 2009. This brief is a compilation of views of leading experts from around the world on the key negotiating outcomes that must be pursued now, in order to effectively put agriculture on the climate change agenda.

The production of liquid biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel is rapidly increasing in developing countries, due mainly to the establishment of large-scale biofuel feedstock plantations. This results in potential socio-economic benefits, particularly in terms of agricultural employment, but also in risks, which tend to be context-specific.

Agriculture is affected by climate change but also contributes to it. As a sector, agriculture must therefore both adapt to changes and offers options for mitigation, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions and storing carbon. This study explores the mitigation and adaptation potential of organic agriculture.

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Eldis supports free and open access to useful and relevant research on global development challenges.

Eldis is hosted by the Knowledge, Impact and Policy team at the Institute of Development Studies in the UK but our services profile work by a growing global network of research organisations and knowledge brokers. These partners help to ensure that Eldis can present a truly global picture of development research. More...